Silver Linings

Time for another #tbt post...  This post was written last winter, when I was feeling cozy and warm by the fire... so excuse any sappy romance... this was originally part of the #10weeksofhorrorchallenge Love, does death mean the end?  I thought about him all the way through class. Again. I know it’s wrong, to be obsessed with a guy. I get it, but I still can’t help myself. We are finally, after years of “will they, won’t they”, together. Jessica and Ronnie pass notes over my desk in class, they don't even bother letting me read them any more. I guess I do spend a lot of time with Alex, but this last year has been tough on him. Over lunch they talk about the skiing trip, again. And they ignore all my objections, just like I'm not there. Alex and I were in a car accident, nearly a year ago now. He was badly injured, internal bleeding, the works. I was lucky to escape with a few minor injuries, a sprained ankle, whiplash… I soon bounced back. Alex’s body is still ...

Sometimes an idea you have doesn't translate to the page quite as you'd like it to... but that's ok Mistletoe mishap by KarinaLawrence Last week I had an idea for the week 2 holiday challenge, the above is what I ended up submitting. Sometimes I am really happy with the art I create, proud even. This week I feel like I didn't quite create what I wanted to in my mind. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the week, trying out new techniques and drawing new things. As you can see by the penguin doodle on the left of this image... not every attempt is a good one! That's probably why I like practicing so much. It doesn't matter how bad a first attempt is, all that matters is that you keep trying. With that in mind I will be revisiting this idea in the future, trying to get the actual image I had in my head onto paper. Karina_Lawrence on instagram This little guy is the highlight of this project. I love how happy he looks. He is 100% wh...

In honour of #tbt I’m going to start posting old stories, poems, photos and art pieces. The following is a Halloween story from 2014. Captain Thomas Embers popped into my head one day and I saw his whole story. His childhood, torn from his parents by pirates. His upbringing as a powder monkey on a pirate ship. And his ascent to Captain of his very own pirate ship. No one more dreaded, no one more respected.  I’ve worked on this character and stories about him over the years, but this is the only one I ever put out into the world. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it way back when!  Born of fire and blood, gunpowder and swords With cruelty in his heart and bloodlust in his veins Wherever he goes everyone remembers The name of one Captain Thomas Embers They waded through thick mud, weather-worn boots squelching with each step. The occasional grunted curse broke the cold silence of the night. Captain Embers led the way, fifteen members o...

I can never turn down a challenge AND I love the holidays... When I saw that Redbubble was holding a holiday challenge , you can imagine my joy. Week one The first week’s challenge was to design a gift-worthy pattern for mugs. For me it started with a very simple idea: I wanted to try my hand at watercolours again, having just found out how fun and challenging this was and I've also love painting/sketching birds. I recently painted a watercolour for a close friend, her brief was just that it had to be serene and involve waterlilies... Water lily dreams by Karina Lawrence So armed with a brief, design a holiday mug, and having decided the medium I set to figuring out what this design might look like... I always start with a sketch of the main elements of any piece of art. It helps me make sure that I have the dimensions right and gives me a visual to refer back to once I'm creating the final piece. Sketching in pen is also a favourite of mine. I...

It's been a minute since I felt the need to blog about anything.  Water lily dreams by Karina Lawrence It feels odd, familiar, yet strange. Like a sock that's been through the tumble dryer a few too many times, so it's stiff and uncomfortable. But hopefully, like that sock, it will be comfortable again with a bit of use. I just need to warm up a bit, maybe do some stretches (speaking of stretching I'm prepping for a Santa Dash real soon, you can donate to a worthy charity via my Just Giving page and look out for embarrassing photos coming up on my insta and Twitter feed on December 3!) I finally got the chance to start a career, once I'd figured out what I wanted to do. I got 12 months experience under my belt and I'm now looking for a new and exciting post to show someone everything I learned and everything I'm capable of. I finally got around to posting my art on a website for the world to see! I never thought I'd have the courage, b...